Started in 2011, Bridge Bread in St. Louis, Missouri aims to provide people with a skill and a job in order to help them secure housing. The organization has employed 40 individuals, more than half of whom have remained employed and housed. The bakery’s products are distributed to 60 churches in the St. Louis metro area as well as universities and high schools.
With many of the restaurants and companies that buy the bakery’s bread reevaluating business in the wake of COVID-19, Bridge has seen its sales significantly reduced. Assuming that the bakery continues to face lost business over the next few months, followed by a slow recovery period, the bakery’s owner estimates that it will need roughly $20,000 to stay open.
Bridge Bread has appealed to its community and beyond to help keep it afloat. In a Facebook post and on its website, the bakery states that it needs to “raise money to keep our Bakers employed and housed.” As of this writing, the Facebook post has raised $3,950 for Bridge Bread.
Additionally, the bakery states that AB Mauri North America, which has partnered with Bridge Bread for more than four years to provide ingredients, expertise, and even business partnerships, will match donations up to $5,000 through April 10.